Written Answers Monday 8 June 2009

Scottish Executive

Access for Disabled People

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether a mobility scooter is regarded in law as a mobility aid or a vehicle.

Nicola Sturgeon: There is currently a lack of clarity around the legal definition. At present, a mobility scooter is regarded as a mobility aid, however this has not yet been challenged in law. It currently must meet Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Authority (MHRA) standards for medical devices. If it is capable of speeds in excess of 8 mph it must have lights to go on the road and all motor scooters are subject to the Highway Code.

Access for Disabled People

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the right of pedestrian access to a property includes right of access for a wheelchair user.

Nicola Sturgeon: If the member is referring to access to a public building then section 19 of the Disability Discrimination Act does not allow service providers to discriminate against disabled people in terms of access.

  If the reference concerns access to private property, then pedestrian rights of access to property are created in a number of ways - in title deeds to property, by the operation of prescription or sometimes even by inference or implication. It is therefore impossible to say, in the abstract, whether a particular pedestrian right of access includes access for a wheelchair user as such a question would be determined by the particular title deeds in question and/or by other surrounding evidence. If there is a dispute then ultimately the extent of a right of access will be determined by the courts.

Access for Disabled People

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the right of pedestrian access to a property includes right of access for the user of a mobility scooter.

Nicola Sturgeon: It is not clear from the question whether the access referred to is to public or private property.

  If Elaine Murray is referring to access to a public building then section 19 of the Disability Discrimination Act does not allow service providers to discriminate against disabled people in terms of access.

  If the reference concerns access to private property, then pedestrian rights of access to property are created in a number of ways - in title deeds to property, by the operation of prescription or sometimes even by inference or implication. It is therefore impossible to say, in the abstract, whether a particular pedestrian right of access includes access for a mobility scooter user as such a question would be determined by the particular title deeds in question and/or by other surrounding evidence. If there is a dispute then ultimately the extent of a right of access will be determined by the courts.

Diabetes

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what financial support it has given to third sector organisations to support children with diabetes.

Nicola Sturgeon: In the last 18 months we have provided Diabetes UK Scotland with funding of some £80,000, mainly related to its work in helping people with diabetes contribute directly to diabetes service planning, but including a young people’s forum being held in Glasgow on 13 June 2009.

  The consultation on the revision of the Diabetes Action Plan 2006, launched on 28 May, offers an opportunity to identify further ways of supporting children with diabetes.

Flood Prevention

Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many flood prevention schemes are being constructed, broken down by local authority.

Roseanna Cunningham: I am aware of 11 flood prevention schemes being constructed this year by the undernoted local authorities.

  

 Local Authority
 Flood Prevention Scheme


 Argyll and Bute
 Kilbride Road, Dunoon


 City of Edinburgh
 Braid Burn


 City of Edinburgh
 Water of Leith


 Falkirk
 Bo'ness


 Fife
 Dunfermline


 Glasgow City
 White Cart


 Highland
 South West Inverness


 Moray
 Forres (Burn of Mosset)


 Moray
 Rothes


 Renfrewshire
 North Renfrew


 West Lothian
 Broxburn

Flood Prevention

Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many flood prevention scheme proposals are under consideration, broken down by local authority.

Roseanna Cunningham: Three proposed flood prevention schemes are under consideration for confirmation under the Flood Prevention (Scotland) Act 1961.

  Moray Council:

  Elgin Flood Prevention Scheme 2007.

  Forres (Findhorn and Pilmuir) Flood Prevention Scheme 2008.

  West Dunbartonshire Council:

  Knowle Burn Flood Prevention Scheme 2007.

Fuel Poverty

Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive on what date it revised its guidance for its energy assistance package with regard to broken heating systems.

Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it announced its revised guidance for its energy assistance package with regard to broken heating systems on the Scottish Government website and, if so, on what date.

Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive to what organisations it has written with information on its revised guidance for its energy assistance package with regard to broken heating systems, broken down by organisation and date on which the correspondence was sent.

Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what organisations it consulted prior to introducing revised guidance for its energy assistance package with regard to broken heating systems.

Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason it introduced revised guidance for its energy assistance package with regard to broken heating systems.

Alex Neil: The energy assistance package (EAP) launched on the 6 April 2009 is a new, holistic approach to tackling fuel poverty which, unique to the UK, focuses not only upon households at risk of fuel poverty but also on homes with the poorest energy efficiency thus fuel poverty proofing the Scottish housing stock for the future.

  To determine eligibility and measure improvements made through the scheme we use rdSAP; a calculation tool that provides an asset rating for an energy performance certificate using assumptions to allow dwellings to be compared in a consistent way. As part of our continuous monitoring of the new package we identified that applying the standard guidance on the rdSAP calculation would have meant applying the same rating for a heating system regardless of whether it was currently broken or working; as if a heating system is broken, rdSAP assumes it will be repaired.

  For the purpose of the EAP, we wanted to ensure that those with broken systems would be eligible for assistance at Stage 4 of the package where appropriate, in line with the intention behind the Fuel Poverty Forum’s recommendations and the consequent Regulations. We therefore issued guidance to the Energy Saving Scotland advice centres and to the managing agent for Stage 4 on 23 April clarifying how broken heating systems should be treated under the EAP to ensure that broken systems should not be rated as if they were working, when calculating the rdSAP for the EAP.

  Discussions were held with Building Research Establishment Limited, Energy Saving Trust and the managing agent for Stage 4 of the EAP, before the guidance was issued to those administering the package. Working guidance is a routine part of the administration of the EAP and is not published on our website nor more widely circulated, however, we intend to ask the Scottish Fuel Poverty Forum to review from time-to-time the working guidance issued to those administering the package.

Fuel Poverty

Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it introduced a rule excluding people from receiving help from stage four of the energy assistance package more than once in a 10-year period.

Alex Neil: Clause 4 (5) of the Home Energy Assistance Scheme (Scotland) 2009 Regulations states "No grant may be made in respect of any dwelling for which a grant under these regulations has been made within the previous 10 years". These regulations were laid before the Scottish Parliament on 13 February 2009 and came into force on 6 April 2009.

Fuel Poverty

Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applicants have been refused a new central heating system under the central heating programme on the basis that they have already received assistance within a 10-year period, broken down by local authority.

Alex Neil: We would not expect anyone to be refused assistance under this part of the regulation for some time to come, as this rule only applies to those who have received assistance under Stage 4 of the energy assistance package in the past 10 years and the new package is in its infancy.

Fuel Poverty

Willie Coffey (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-20991 by Alex Neil on 11 March 2009, when the equalities impact assessment of the work of the Scottish Fuel Poverty Forum will be published and how disabled people’s organisations will be consulted about the outcome.

Alex Neil: The equalities impact assessment was published in March and can be accessed here:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/People/Equality/18507/EQIADetails/Q/Id/241.

  The Scottish Fuel Poverty Forum has established an Equalities Working Group which will meet shortly to discuss equalities issues. The group will be chaired by Age Concern and Help the Aged in Scotland and will have a range of representative members including the Scottish Disability Equality Forum and Inclusion Scotland.

Health

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of suggestions by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) that acupuncture, structured exercise and chiropractic services should be offered as treatment for back pain.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government is aware of the recent National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) publication of a National Clinical Guideline to improve the early management of persistent non-specific low back pain.

  NICE Clinical Guidelines have no formal status in Scotland as the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) has the responsibility to produce clinical guidelines for NHSScotland.

  The planning and provision of NHS services is a matter for NHS boards. NHS boards are expected to take account of relevant evidence based advice and guidance in the delivery of NHS services. The treatment of individual patients is a matter of professional judgement.

Health

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers it a worthwhile use of NHS funds to offer complementary treatments such as physical therapy and massage to people with chronic back pain.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government recognises that complementary or alternative medicine may offer relief to some people suffering from a wide variety of conditions and leaves it open to NHS boards to provide these therapies based on their assessment of needs in their areas and in line with national guidance about treatment for the condition(s). The treatment of individual patients is a matter of professional judgement.

  Guidance was issued to NHS boards in August 2005 to remind them that this option was open to them. The letter, NHS circular HDL (2005) 37, is available electronically at:

  http://www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/mels/HDL2005_37.pdf.

  NHS boards are expected to take account of relevant evidence-based guidelines and advice in the planning and delivery of NHS services.

  Physical therapy is a routine element of rehabilitation for people with low back pain as part of NHS physiotherapy services.

Health

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to follow the example of the NHS in England and Wales, where people with persistent back pain may be treated by chiropractors, osteopaths and acupuncturists.

Nicola Sturgeon: The planning and provision of NHS services is a matter for NHS boards. NHS boards are expected to take account of relevant evidence-based advice and guidance in the delivery of NHS services. The treatment of individual patients is a matter of professional judgement.

Healthcare Associated Infections

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients confirmed as having (a) Clostridium difficile and (b) MRSA in the Lothians region were transferred from another hospital in the last 12 months.

Nicola Sturgeon: This information is not routinely collected by NHS Lothian; nor is the information held centrally.

Housing

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-23810 by Alex Neil on 21 May 2009, how many applicants to the Low-cost Initiative for First-Time Buyers successfully purchased a home under each category of the scheme (a) in 2007-08, (b) in 2008-09 and (c) to 30 April 2009, broken down by local authority.

Alex Neil: The following number of applicants to the Low-cost Initiative for First-Time Buyers have successfully purchased a home.

  

 Grant Type
 Local Authority
 2007-08
 2008-09
 At 30 April 2009


 New Supply Shared Equity Scheme
 Aberdeen City
 -
 11
 -


 Aberdeenshire
 6
 29
 8


 Argyll and Bute
 30
 36
 -


 Dumfries and Galloway
 25
 7
 1


 East Ayrshire
 6
 21
 1


 East Dunbartonshire
 10
 2
 -


 East Lothian
 6
 2
 -


 Edinburgh City
 16
 44
 -


 Fife
 25
 11
 -


 Glasgow City
 70
 67
 11


 Highland
 107
 55
 1


 Inverclyde
 14
 2
 -


 Midlothian
 21
 3
 -


 Moray
 10
 -
 -


 North Ayrshire
 8
 17
 -


 Perth and Kinross
 6
 -
 -


 Renfrewshire
 1
 -
 -


 South Lanarkshire
 -
 6
 6


 Stirling
 3
 4
 -


 Scottish Borders
 4
 4
 -


 West Dunbartonshire
 -
 35
 -


 West Lothian
 9
 16
 1


 
 Total
 377
 372
 29



  

 Grant Type
 Local Authority
 2007-08
 2008-09
 At 30 April 2009


 Open Market Shared Equity Pilot Scheme
 Aberdeen City
 -
 14
 3


 Aberdeenshire
 -
 4
 2


 East Lothian
 74
 53
 6


 Edinburgh City
 415
 213
 16


 Highland
 -
 19
 6


 Midlothian
 62
 34
 2


 Moray
 -
 1
 -


 Perth and Kinross
 -
 3
 1


 Stirling
 -
 4
 2


 West Lothian
 89
 127
 11


 
 Total
 640
 472
 49


 Shared Ownership
 Dundee City
 23
 -
 -


 Fife
 39
 -
 -


 Glasgow City
 -
 2
 -


 Perth and Kinross
 1
 -
 -


 West Dunbartonshire
 5
 20
 -


 Total
 68
 22
 -


 Rural Home Ownership Grant
 Aberdeenshire
 1
 1
 -


 Angus
 -
 1
 -


 Argyll and Bute
 6
 7
 -


 Eilean Siar
 1
 4
 -


 Highland
 31
 20
 1


 Orkney
 27
 11
 1


 Perth and Kinross
 2
 1
 -


 Scottish Borders
 2
 3
 -


 Shetland
 1
 1
 -


 
 Total
 71
 49
 2


 GRO Grant
 Aberdeenshire
 39
 7
 -


 Eilean Siar
 18
 -
 -


 Glasgow City
 24
 1
 -


 Moray
 -
 15
 -


 North Lanarkshire
 11
 52
 -


 Orkney
 10
 -
 -


 West Dunbartonshire
 -
 50
 -


 
 Total
 102
 125
 -

Housing

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the comparison between the allocated grant and the uptake of grant under the Housing Association Grant scheme in each of the last three years for which information is available, broken down by local authority.

Alex Neil: The details of the comparison between Affordable Housing Investment Programme (AHIP) funding allocated and actual spend achieved, broken down by local authority is as follows:

  

 
 2006-07 Spend
 2007-08 Spend
 2008-09 Spend


 Planned
 Out-Turn
 Planned
 Out-Turn
 Planned
 Out-Turn


 Highland
 31.500
 43.557
 36.325
 37.802
 27.120
 29.777


 Orkney
 5.500
 5.018
 6.000
 7.007
 5.033
 6.287


 Shetland
 2.500
 3.030
 3.800
 5.728
 2.640
 3.401


 Western Isles
 4.200
 6.704
 6.500
 7.698
 4.130
 4.380


 Aberdeenshire
 11.500
 17.223
 16.508
 9.202
 19.637
 24.382


 City of Aberdeen
 11.500
 5.014
 6.767
 4.232
 3.922
 5.184


 Moray
 6.000
 11.262
 9.525
 14.742
 6.372
 5.508


 Angus
 4.000
 8.302
 5.714
 8.108
 3.890
 4.492


 City of Dundee
 10.000
 12.975
 12.250
 17.606
 7.766
 8.467


 Perth and Kinross
 13.000
 16.524
 15.270
 14.989
 10.886
 13.063


 Clackmannanshire
 2.697
 2.640
 3.500
 2.616
 2.150
 2.627


 Falkirk
 2.697
 4.350
 7.366
 4.063
 3.866
 4.966


 Stirling
 9.706
 10.135
 10.724
 9.067
 3.476
 4.619


 East Lothian
 4.981
 4.440
 5.600
 4.836
 4.400
 6.916


 Fife
 19.992
 16.210
 21.545
 25.957
 13.133
 15.050


 Midlothian
 2.542
 2.786
 4.580
 6.568
 3.400
 3.965


 Scottish Borders
 6.577
 7.470
 7.200
 8.790
 5.600
 6.883


 West Lothian
 7.108
 10.706
 10.220
 4.413
 6.600
 8.279


 City of Edinburgh
 36.100
 39.206
 36.100
 38.601
 36.100
 37.900


 Dumfries and Galloway
 11.267
 14.880
 12.767
 16.728
 9.700
 11.625


 East Ayrshire
 5.960
 9.206
 11.533
 12.679
 7.000
 7.800


 North Ayrshire
 6.925
 11.687
 10.281
 10.256
 6.640
 7.240


 North Lanarkshire
 17.085
 17.778
 23.961
 20.418
 14.600
 16.269


 South Ayrshire
 6.183
 6.175
 6.674
 3.552
 6.300
 6.800


 South Lanarkshire
 16.380
 18.074
 19.284
 23.694
 15.300
 16.400


 Argyll and Bute
 15.550
 21.930
 17.675
 21.920
 14.757
 15.280


 West Dunbartonshire
 10.000
 8.750
 10.350
 8.463
 7.835
 8.335


 East Dunbartonshire
 3.000
 5.345
 5.800
 8.728
 5.386
 6.746


 Inverclyde
 13.851
 14.353
 23.565
 20.827
 19.280
 18.479


 Renfrewshire
 24.631
 22.969
 17.096
 22.415
 12.510
 12.776


 East Renfrewshire
 3.568
 2.490
 4.775
 3.324
 3.271
 3.749


 Glasgow
 70.700
 82.999
 83.000
 83.000
 83.000
 84.000


 Glasgow Housing Association
 52.200
 57.522
 68.400
 63.297
 79.300
 79.300


 Other Programmes
 1.000
 17.908
 3.836
 3.412
 4.000
 3.219


 LIFT: Shared Equity Open Market Pilot
 4.200
 22.296
 30.000
 29.838
 24.000
 20.321


 Mortgage to Rent
 0.000
 0.000
 10.000
 9.433
 10.000
 15.226


 Glasgow Housing Association 2nd Stage Transfers
 0.000
 0.000
 0.000
 0.248
 0.000
 0.000


 Total*
 454.600
 561.914
 584.491
 594.257
 493.000
 529.711



  Note: *Planned programme excludes additional funding allocated during the financial year.

  The majority of the Affordable Housing Investment Programme funding is Housing Association Grant allocated to Registered Social Landlords, but allocations to local authority level includes all grants. The figures provided above include all grants.

Housing

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many first-time buyers were able to purchase homes under the Low-cost Initiative for First-Time Buyers scheme in (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2007-08, broken down by (i) new supply shared equity/shared ownership, (ii) open market shared equity pilot, (iii) rural home ownership grant and (iv) grant for owner occupation (GRO) scheme.

Alex Neil: The following table details the number of homes completed and made available for purchase for first-time buyers under the Low-cost Initiative for First-Time Buyers scheme (LIFT) for the years requested. Marketing of LIFT properties is primarily targeted at first-time buyers, but other buyers are often eligible, such as people in the armed forces or veterans and people living in social housing. The schemes can also help people who are looking for a new home after a significant change in their household circumstances, people who have a disability and own a house which does not suit their needs or owner occupiers who are affected by demolition plans as part of a regeneration scheme.

  We do not centrally collate details of purchasers for all LIFT products. For the products that we do collate this information the proportion of first-time buyers is around 90%.

  LIFT Homes Completed and Made Available For Purchase

  

 
 2007-08
 2008-09


 New supply shared equity/shared ownership
 602
 802


 Open Market Shared Equity Pilot
 654
 512


 Rural Home Ownership Grants
 71
 49


 Grants for Owner Occupation
 102
 125


 Total
 1,429
 1,488

Housing

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will confirm that all of the £45 million in consequentials from Her Majesty’s Government’s budget announcement on housing will be used on housing and whether it will set out how it plans to spend this money.

Alex Neil: The Scottish Government will announce its decision as to how this funding will be allocated in due course.

Licensing

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many licensed premises went out of business in each year since 1999, also broken down by local authority.

Kenny MacAskill: The information requested is not held centrally.

NHS Staff

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to address the vacancy rate in consultant psychiatry of 22% in Lanarkshire, 23% in Highland and 25% in Ayrshire and Arran, many of the posts having been vacant for several years, as highlighted in the Audit Scotland report, Overview of mental health services.

Nicola Sturgeon: The number of consultant vacancies in psychiatry within NHSScotland and the boards highlighted by Audit Scotland as reported by Information Services Division (ISD) of NHS National Service Scotland is:

  

NHS Board (all figures are head count as at 30 September 2008)
 Total Number Consultants in Psychiatry
 Total Consultant Psychiatry Vacancies
 Posts Vacant Over Six Months


 NHSScotland 
 522
 43
 16


 NHS Ayrshire and Arran
 23
 8
 3


 NHS Lanarkshire
 48
 13
 7


 NHS Highland 
 21
 6
 6



  In response to the figures published in the Audit Scotland report NHS Ayrshire and Arran reports an improvement in their vacancy level with candidates appointed to five posts and interviews arranged in June for a further two posts. NHS Highland and NHS Lanarkshire indicate that locum cover is in place with an active recruitment programme running to fill these posts on a substantive basis. NHS Lanarkshire also report that one of the vacancies reported by Audit Scotland is in fact a new post created to support the expansion of their eating disorder service.

NHS Waiting Times

Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average audiology waiting time has been for adults, broken down by NHS board, in each year since 1999.

Nicola Sturgeon: Information relating to audiology waiting times in NHS boards has been collected since April 2007 and Information Services Division (ISD) is actively working with the boards to improve the consistency, completeness and timeliness of these data. Progress was reviewed in November 2008 but fundamental problems remained with comparing data between NHS boards and a revised dataset was introduced in December 2008. Audiology waiting times will be included within the 18-week referral to treatment standard by 2011 and systems are being developed to report progress towards that target.

NHS Waiting Times

Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average audiology waiting time has been for neonates, broken down by NHS board, in each year since 1999.

Nicola Sturgeon: This data is not currently held centrally, however plans are being taken forward to develop a data link within boards between the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS) system and NHS audiology departments. Once diagnostic work has been carried out on a referred baby by the audiologist, that data would be recorded on the UNHS system. Over time, this should allow waiting times data to be extrapolated and reports to provide other data such as around the number of deaf children being identified within boards.

Police

Elizabeth Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many police stations have been manned at evenings and weekends in each police force area in each year since 1999.

Elizabeth Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive which police stations are manned at evenings and weekends in each police force area.

Kenny MacAskill: This information is not held centrally.

Prison Service

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what services are offered in Scotland’s prisons to the 70% of prisoners identified as having a mental health problem, as highlighted in the Audit Scotland report, Overview of mental health services.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

  A wide range of services are offered in Scotland’s prisons to support people with mental health problems.

  The Scottish Prison Service responds to the social and mental health needs of all prisoners within Scottish penal establishments, including providing access to specialist healthcare provision when an assessed need is identified.

Prison Service

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason there is no consistent process for referring people with mental health problems being released from prisons to community mental health services, as highlighted in the Audit Scotland report, Overview of mental health services.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

  The Scottish Prison Service Healthcare Standard 3 requires a member of the prison’s mental health team to make contact with community agencies when a prisoner with mental health care needs is within eight weeks of release.

  The provision of community care varies.

Prison Service

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive at what date and time government officials first became aware that prisoner John Burt Brown had absconded from HMP Castle Huntly on 27 May 2009.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:

  The SPS HQ was advised of the abscond of John Burt Brown at 4.45 pm on Wednesday 27 May 2009.

Prison Service

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners in the open estate were serving (a) life, (b) long-term and (c) short-term sentences, as at May 2009.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

  As of 31 May 2009 there were 44 prisoners serving a life sentence (including life recalls), 205 prisoners serving a long-term sentence (over four years) and 52 serving a short-term (less than four years) sentence.

Prison Service

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners in the open estate were serving sentences, broken down by (a) length of sentence and (b) main charge proven, as at May 2009.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:

  All prisoners held within the open estate are serving sentences the length of which is shown in the following table. This information reflects the position on 2 June 2009.

  

 Sentence Length
 Number of Prisoners


 Up to 2 Years
 3


 2 to 4 Years
 48


 4 to 6 Years
 115


 6 to 8 Years
 45


 8 to 10 Years
 19


 Over 10 Years
 25


 Life
 44



  Prisoners are often convicted on a variety of charges. SPS does not designate a main charge.

Rural Development

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what support it provides to farmers and crofters in the Highlands and Islands to help them tackle predation on livestock by foxes.

Roseanna Cunningham: 50% funding is available to fox destruction clubs to control foxes during the spring lambing season.

Rural Development

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether fox numbers are rising in the Highlands and Islands and, if so, what action it will take to respond to this and to any concerns of crofters and farmers in relation to predation on livestock by foxes.

Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government does not hold information on fox numbers. It supports fox destruction clubs across Scotland, and has resisted calls to ban snaring, focussing instead on the improving of standards in the operation of snares.

Rural Development

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what support is available to farmers and crofters in the Highlands and Islands to help them deal with predation on livestock by (a) sea eagles, (b) golden eagles and (c) other birds of prey, broken down by geographical area and the support available.

Roseanna Cunningham: Currently support for eagles and other birds of prey is available through the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) Rural Priorities. There are options within SRDP which offer management support for golden eagles. These can be found at the following web reference http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Rural/SRDP/RuralPriorities/Packages/GoldenEagle .

  There are currently no options in Rural Priorities designed specifically for sea eagles, though there is package guidance for these birds. This guidance can be found at the following web reference:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Rural/SRDP/RuralPriorities/Packages/SupportBiodiversity/Birds/WhiteTailedEagle.

  Other predatory birds can benefit from a wide range of habitat management options but these do not have any conflict resolution or species specific management options. Management options supporting birds can be found at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Rural/SRDP/RuralPriorities/Packages/SupportBiodiversity/Birds.

  There is also support for specific areas. In the West Highlands, Scottish Natural Heritage offers a West Highland Sea Eagle Management Scheme. This is available to land managers in Lochaber, Skye and Lochalsh and Wester Ross, who have land within the territory of breeding sea eagles, although in exceptional circumstances Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has entered into agreements in other areas which are frequented by high numbers of juvenile birds. The original scheme closed in January 2008, but SNH re-opened the Scheme in spring 2009, for a period of one year and is offering one-year agreements.

  In addition to the sea eagle management options, SNH offers a natural care scheme for the Cuillins golden eagle Special Protection Area (SPA). This management scheme is available to land managers who have land within Cuillins SPA. This scheme is now closed, but entrants entered into five-year Management Agreements with SNH. This scheme delivers habitat and biodiversity improvement, and does not have any prescriptions designed to reduce conflict with livestock management.

  In Argyll a natural care scheme has been developed for Mull and more recently Appin. The Mull Eagle Scheme offers support to hill farmers on Mull who have sea eagles and/or golden eagles on their land.

Scottish Environment Protection Agency

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what it estimates the costs will be for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to implement the requirements of the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Bill in (a) 2009, (b) 2010 and (c) 2011.

Roseanna Cunningham: The Financial Memorandum, which accompanied the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Bill upon introduction to the Scottish Parliament, estimates that the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is likely to incur costs of £3.34 million up to 2010-11:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/s3/bills/15-FloodRisk/b15s3-intro-en.pdf.

  This estimated cost is based on the work that will be required to meet the first directive deadline in December 2011 as well as preparatory work for subsequent directive requirements. This figure consists of estimated capital costs of £1.6 million and staff costs of £1.74 million.

  It is also estimated that SEPA may incur additional costs relating to the transfer of reservoir enforcement responsibility from local authorities at a total of £0.1 million up to 2010-11.

Scottish Environment Protection Agency

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what additional funds will be made available to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to implement the requirements of the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Bill in (a) 2009, (b) 2010 and (c) 2011.

Roseanna Cunningham: We intend to make available to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency additional funding for this purpose of £0.6 million in 2009-10, subject to approval by the Parliament at autumn Budget Revisions. For 2010-11, funding will be considered alongside other pressures as part of the process of balancing the budget. Any funding required in 2011-12 will be considered as part of the next spending review discussions.